He took an unconventional road to the 2024 NFL Draft, but now that he’s here, former Toronto Argonauts CB Qwan’tez Stiggers has one of the most intriguing scouting reports on the circuit.
How did he land on the path to the draft, and what does he bring to the NFL?
Qwan’tez Stiggers’ Draft Profile and Measurements
- Height: 5’11 3/4″
- Weight: 204 pounds
- Length: 30 1/2″
- Wingspan: 73 3/8″
- Hand: 8 7/8″
- Position: CB
- School: N/A (Toronto Argonauts, CFL)
- Age: 22 years old
Few prospects have had a path to the 2024 NFL Draft more unique than Stiggers. It was a path riddled with adversity, but it’s helped lead the ascending cornerback to where he is today — on the doorstep of the NFL, which was the dream all along.
Stiggers was one of 13 children in his family, growing up in Atlanta. He started his high school football career as a return man, but a late growth spurt allowed him to take reps at defensive back, where he showed promise.
Qwan'tez Stiggers is a CB prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored a 9.34 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 163 out of 2473 CB from 1987 to 2024. https://t.co/7BcDsQAOWY pic.twitter.com/06PEi6mWkY
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 23, 2024
Stiggers’ boost in development came a bit too late, however, as there was very little interest for him at the collegiate level. He signed to play football on scholarship for Lane College in Tennessee, but the death of his father, as a result of a car accident, eventually caused him to drop out.
In 2020 and 2021, Stiggers was away from the sport. But by 2022, he was looking to return, and with the help of his mother, he found an opportunity with the semi-pro Fan Controlled Football League (FCF).
It didn’t take long for Stiggers’ natural talent to take over in the FCF, and after a 12-game season that saw him amass five interceptions, his new connections helped him generate interest from the CFL.
From there, Stiggers earned a tryout and eventually a spot on the Toronto Argonauts’ roster. Stiggers not only thrived but became a starter and a premier defensive playmaker as a rookie, snaring five more INTs while earning CFL Most Outstanding Rookie and East All-Star honors.
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By the end of the CFL season, word had reached the NFL — and the NFL, too, was intrigued. Because he never played college football, Stiggers was able to exit his CFL contract and enter the 2024 NFL Draft pool.
He appeared at the East-West Shrine Bowl and dominated. Then, at his individual pro day, he logged elite athletic numbers — among them a 4.45-second 40-yard dash with a 1.52-second 10-yard split in the 90th percentile, 36″ vertical, 10’8″ broad, 7.03-second three-cone, and 4.32-second short-shuttle.
Every journey is different, but Stiggers’ has taken him from the cusp of leaving the game behind entirely to the doorstep of the biggest stage. And he’s all the better because of it.
Stiggers’ Scouting Report
Strengths
- Well-put-together athlete with a strong, proportionate frame and plenty of lean mass.
- Elite explosive threat with the quick acceleration and vertical speed to limit stacks.
- Energetic, elastic short-area mover who can keep speed while throttling in side-saddle.
- Flashes rare sink and swivel fluidity, hinging 270 degrees to clamp down on comebacks.
- Natural playmaker with a ball-hawking instinct who can extend and snare throws.
- Has exceptional body control, tracking ability, and contortion at the catch point.
- Attacks the football with authority with the vertical burst and timing to win positioning.
- Able to read the QB’s eyes and peel off short hitches to undercut Cover-2 hole shots.
- Smooth zone DB with easy sink and redirection ability while maintaining hip leverage.
- Is an active zone communicator who can recognize threats in the flat and trigger.
- Doesn’t get tunnel vision on individual routes in zone, processing concepts well.
- Can key in on QB intent quickly and launch downhill to meet out-breakers with force.
- Able to stay low and tight on his pedal in off-man while surveying vertical routes.
- Can explode downhill in support and has shown he can wrap up as a tackler.
- Willing special-teams contributor with the speed and frame to translate as a gunner.
Weaknesses
- Length is below average, which does detract slightly from his disruption radius.
- Sometimes experiences slight hitches on quick 90-degree hip transitions ahead of trails.
- Often played with excess cushion in the CFL and must amass more press experience.
- Foot speed and proactive motion have room to be more consistent in press-man.
- At times, widens his feet too quickly in press-man, which can lock out his hips.
- Plant-and-drive footwork and deceleration over top stems can be more efficient at times.
- Can be baited into tugging WRs in an attempt to recover when they get a vertical step.
- May need time to balance targeted physicality and ball tracking in trail versus NFL WRs.
- Sometimes plays too tall and too flat-footed on his pedal in off-man and zone.
- Can be lulled into slowing his strides and hitching by stop-and-go moves.
- Sometimes drops and rolls as a tackler rather than wrapping up with his arms.
- Length may impact his ability to engage and deconstruct blocks at the NFL level.
- NFL offenses will be faster, more complex, and more cohesive than CFL offenses.
- Margin for error was larger in the CFL, as he was able to win predominantly on talent.
Current Draft Projection and Summary
Stiggers grades out as an early-to-mid Day 3 prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft. There’s a slight chance he goes within the top 100, but the likelier outcome is that he comes off the board somewhere on Day 3. His tools and natural playmaking ability will no doubt earn an investment from an NFL team.
Stiggers is an incredibly unique case, having never played a snap of college football. But his journey, in and of itself, is a testament to his resilience and growth in the face of adversity, and that’s just as important as the ability he shows on the field.
While earning CFL Most Outstanding Rookie honors in 2023, Stiggers showed off NFL-translatable traits — most markedly his explosiveness and playmaking ability with the ball in the air.
Stiggers is most comfortable in zone and off-man, where he’s able to pedal and sink in phase, monitor routes with his eyes, and key in on QB intent. He has searing closing speed once he hits his trigger, and his ability to win positioning, play the ball, and force incompletions is truly special.
In adjacent categories, there are exciting qualities to observe with Stiggers as well. His frame is strong and compact. He’s fluid, twitched up in short ranges, has willing physicality, and can process and monitor overlapping routes in off-man and zone.
There will be an acclimation period for Stiggers at the NFL level; particularly in press-man and trail coverage, not only his physicality but the application of his physicality will be tested.
There are still minute technical deficiencies to give attention to, and in support, his game needs further refinement beyond closing speed and willingness — especially if he’s going to take slot reps down the line.
KEEP READING: Top CBs in the 2024 NFL Draft
Still, at just 22 years old and with barely any conventional football experience to go off of, Stiggers already shows a lot of promise across coverage variations, and his natural playmaking ability is hard to match.
He has true starter potential at CB, and in the immediate timeline, he’s a solid rotational presence with special-teams utility.
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